Declawing Toms

[CampCarlie Farm]

My hen is being damaged from the claws of my tom trying to mate with her. He is too heavy to begin with and steps down on her side trying to mount. His claws rip open both her sides in the process. Is it feasible to declaw a full grown tom?

 

[R2elk]

My hen is being damaged from the claws of my tom trying to mate with her. He is too heavy to begin with and steps down on her side trying to mount. His claws rip open both her sides in the process. Is it feasible to declaw a full grown tom?

If your tom is too heavy, it is unlikely a successful breeding can take place without using artificial insemination.

I have never heard of a turkey being de-clawed and personally would not suggest doing so. Normally a single tom without any competition and a willing hen can successfully breed without the hen getting torn up. It is normal for a hen to get torn up if there are multiple toms trying to breed her or if the tom is trying to breed an uncooperative hen while she is on her nest. The tom takes the fact that the hen is lying down as permission to breed and the hen will not cooperate as she is trying to dislodge him from her back. If that is the situation, the tom needs to be separated from the hen or he will eventually kill her.

I highly recommend to people who have to keep just one hen with their tom to buy a turkey saddle and use it. You can get them through Stromberg's or any other reputable poultry dealer.

http://www.strombergschickens.com/p...s-for-All-Poultry/Poultry-Medicine-Accesories

 

[ivan3]

R2elk wrote: I highly recommend to people who have to keep just one hen with their tom to buy a turkey saddle and use it. You can get them through Stromberg's or any other reputable poultry dealer.

x2



Separate them until she heals up. You didn't say what variety or actual wt.. If they can't be separated: Have one person bend down and wrap arms completely around tom (wings folded against body), from behind and lock fingers of hands around the lower breast. Pick the bad boy up (turk's back should be firmly against chest of human). The turk can kick a bit, but is now immobile. The other person can then take a large grit emery board and, holding one leg at a time (don't stretch it out - tom could injure leg by pulling it back towards body), rasp the tip off spur (get it flat/ no need to do more than that).

The hen will probably get bruised by manicured mate, but lacerations of hen's flanks should no longer be the issue. As the `rasping' procedure is rather labor intensive, I'd suggest R2elk's advice as the way to go.